Mike Pietrello wanted a home of his own. The slowly recovering housing market, with its intricacies and complications, as well as a down payment and closing costs, were daunting obstacles blocking his path to home ownership.

“I’m 48 years old and I was looking to buy my first house,” he said before state Treasurer Steve Grossman entered a small board room at the headquarters of Pro-Home, a nonprofit “dedicated to the protection and production of affordable housing.”

Grossman stopped by Monday afternoon, fresh from this past weekend’s state Democratic Convention, where he was named the Democratic Party’s top candidate for governor.

Pro-Home Inc. Executive Director Joseph R. Pacheco said Grossman’s visit was aimed at giving the poll leader an inside look at the organization and the issues it grapples with on a daily basis.

“I’ve been a blue-collar worker all my life,” Pietrello said, recounting his experience utilizing the services of Pro-Home.

He’s been working third shift at Home Depot, pays his bills on time and considers himself an upstanding citizen.

“But I couldn’t come up with a down payment,” the Attleboro man said. “I just couldn’t do it.”

Pro-Home helped him pull together enough for the down payment and closing costs. Now Pietrello’s living in his own home, a renter no more.

“I’m paying less now for my home than I have for rent these past years,” he said. “I just made my first mortgage payment.”

Pietrello has enrolled in summer courses at Bristol Community College.

“Do you know what I hear in your voice?” Grossman said. “I hear a lot of optimism … Pro-Home got you over that bridge and all the other aspects of your life are starting to work.”

Grossman won the party’s endorsement on Saturday but still trails Attorney General Martha Coakley in the polls. He launched his “One Commonwealth” tour Monday.

“One Commonwealth means creating jobs that pay a living wage so all people can build a life and raise a family,” Grossman said in a statement. “The people of Massachusetts have a clear choice this fall: Do you want a progressive job creator or a career prosecutor as your next governor? I look forward to taking my vision, ideas, and proven track record about jobs and economic opportunity on the road as we make our case to the voters.”

Page 2 of 2 - Grossman will face Coakley and Don Berwick — a pediatrician, health policy expert and former Medicare chief in the Obama administration — in the September primary.

Two other candidates, Juliette Kayyem and Joseph Avellone, failed to get 15 percent of the vote, and will not appear on the September ballot.

Republicans Charlie Baker and Mark Fisher will compete in the GOP primary.

“I feel like I have the wind at my back,” Grossman said of his convention success. “But really it begins a 90-day, roughly, opportunity to go out and show people that I’m a progressive job creator.”

Grossman took the opportunity on Monday to discuss a few key campaign platforms.

He praised new legislation intended to grant the employees of Massachusetts’ nonprofit charities access to state retirement plans.

He stressed the importance of financial education in public schools, and asked City Councilor and former School Superintendent Gerald Croteau how many diplomas he signed while heading Taunton’s school department.

Croteau estimated he handed out about 9,000 diplomas to graduating Taunton High students.

Grossman asked Croteau if he thought his students received adequate lessons on personal finance.

Croteau said he has observed “profound economic and financial ignorance in this country.”

Grossman said he believes addressing personal finance issues with students, all students, earlier in their educations, will benefit not only the individuals, but the economy as a whole.

Pacheco said the number of local foreclosures locally has held steady recently.

“And it’s not being talked about as much,” Pacheco said, adding that many home-buyers need his agency now as much as ever.